You can't blame Wilman. When they say, "... but the producers told us we had to do this" - they themselves created that scenario. Clarkson is just as responsible for creating that "stupid shit to please the bored, the ill-educated, the easily amused, and the ratings." The thing is, it works for them.
Yes and no. Andy and Jeremy started the new Top Gear because they felt that the old version had become humdrum, boring and predictable. Unfortunately, the new Top Gear is starting to drift into those very waters. Simply to cater to "the ratings".
Ratings
are important, but they didn't build that huge fan base by doing some of the admittedly um...crap from some of the last seasons. It happened because for so many other reasons.
That's why we have threads like these, and the Unhappy. Top Gear isn't a niche motoring program, it's a business. It started out small, and grew large. Why didn't Google just stick to just providing a search engine, or Apple stick to personal computers? There's a bigger market out there.
I understand what you mean, but I don't think you can compare the two. Of course the BBC intended (and still does) to make money off of Top Gear.
On the other hand, if I mention "Apple" in reference to computer type products, most people know exactly what I mean. They don't envision a pair of shoes, or a Dell PC...in general a certain image immediately springs to mind. Top gear is kinda the same.
If Steve J started branching out to making mufflers, hats, soup bowls, cat food and crap like that..."Apple" just wouldn't be "Apple" as we know it now anymore. It would eventually be just another company out there.
Why would they 'dumb-down' the show to appeal to a larger audience? Because it makes money and provides opportunities for them.
Honestly? I think that for some reason they felt or were 'pushed' in that direction because some
schmuck in a suit in an office for the BBC somewhere thought it was a swell idea. So, they've tried it out, but really..."Thats not gone well.".
Why would they do Live shows rather than spend the time working on the nest series? Because those Live shows make them money and give Jeremy his 'rockstar' tour experience.
Although I'll probably never get to see one of those (damn you ocean!) I can see sorta what they were trying to do at first. It worked, but then just went off on it's own tangent. Or something. Maybe they should still do them, but less often. Maybe once every few years? I dunno.
<snip> ...
Isn't that what you want in your job? More control over what you do, and more money to do the things you want? Would you give it up and go back to an entry-level position, just because a couple of people prefered you to the person that is there now?
That's just it. The whole point of the new Top Gear was to do just that! And that's what made it work. It wasn't trying to appeal to the masses, or to follow in the same tracks (no pun intended) as other car shows. It was supposed to be a breath of fresh air.
Something different, built around Jeremy's love of cars, fun and entertaining, but not the same old same old, or done with what the manufacturers would think ruling your every word.
The 'extreme petrolhead' audience isn't only too small, but not critical to Top Gears ongoing success - at least until the bubble bursts. Then perhaps the TG team will stage a "back to our roots" comeback. Or maybe not.
Yes and no, again. The core audience is pretty much what allowed Top Gear to be what it is. We don't want just another car show. There are slews of those to choose from. Hundreds of magazines to choose from, and innumerable online forums to appeal to anyone out there.
But they're just not Top Gear.